Shinsengumi x Gorgeous Popular Voice Actors, Staged Reading Directed by Atsumi Tsuchishiro, Long-Awaited Revival of "Shinsengumi's Love: Where Spring Resides" Opens!

The revival of the staged reading "Shinsengumi's Love: Where Spring Resides," featuring the Shinsengumi and popular voice actors, opened on Tuesday, March 24th at the Hakuhinkan Theater (Ginza, Tokyo).

The Shinsengumi, who lived at the end of the Edo period, have been depicted in various media such as historical dramas and movies. This production delivers a love story that hints at the existence of the women they loved, using a unique format for a staged reading that fully incorporates light, sound, and video. The script and direction are by Atsumi Tsuchishiro, and the cast includes Nagisa Aoyama, Ryota Osaka, Haruki Ishiya, Karin Isobe, Aoi Ichikawa, Taichi Ichikawa, Kazuhiko Inoue, Daisuke Kishio, KENN, Miyu Kubota, Tatsuya Kobayashi, Wataru Komada, Chiharu Shigematsu, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Hiroki Takahashi, Eiji Takeuchi, Kona Tsukioka, Reo Tsuchida, Junta Terashima, Masatomo Nakazawa, Shiina Natsukawa, Sho Nogami, Kokona Nonaka, Takuya Masumoto, Takeaki Masuyama, Ayumu Murase, Kiyono Yasuno, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Masahiro Yamanaka, and Eri Yukimura (in alphabetical order). A gorgeous cast of voice actors will rotate to portray the world of the late Edo period.

This work is based on the conversation among Shinsengumi members Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, and Yamanami Keisuke on "the night before Yamanami's seppuku," and it deciphers what the Shinsengumi and being a samurai meant to them. Behind their story, the presence of the women they each loved was hinted at. We will fully express the lives of these men, who were earnest in both living as samurai and loving someone, through light, sound, and voice. Please enjoy it along with the spring-like aroma wafting through the theater lobby during this season of transitioning to cherry blossoms.

The staged reading "Shinsengumi: Where Spring Resides" is running at the same theater until Sunday, March 29th. Please check the official website for details.

**Synopsis**

The story begins with Hijikata, Kondo, and Yamanami chatting.

They had gone from being mere commoners honing their swordsmanship in Edo to becoming the officially recognized samurai of the shogunate, the "Shinsengumi," achieving great success and making a name for themselves in the streets of Kyoto. If they cut down those who were enemies of the shogunate, they would receive a reward. They received more money than expected, ate well, and had no shortage of women.

Hijikata was chased by a different woman every day...